


Mother Earth is a Bitch

by Madyamisam



Series: Secrets of Sun Collection [3]
Category: Saiyuki
Genre: Child Abuse, Clones, Demons, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Martial Arts, Mother-Son Relationship, Mystery, Secrets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-30
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-01-21 10:09:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1546931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madyamisam/pseuds/Madyamisam
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The boys arrive at a seemingly peaceful town at the foot of a mountain untouched by the demon attacks of the past few years yet there is something unusual about it namely the lack of children and the strange aura of the mountain. Can theyuncover the dark secret?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Funny Looks

The vast shadow of the mountain sheltered the small village beneath it as the sun coloured the sky in a rich orange glow in the west. It was peaceful and seemed untouched by the horrific realities of the world beyond it, so it was indeed an unusual event to encounter the four travellers riding silently in a green steel jeep.  
Cho Hakkai glanced at his companions as he drove down the road and allowed a small and enigmatic smile grace his lips. On his left sat Sanzo staring at the road ahead with his hands hidden beneath the long sleeves of his white robe whilst his Maten scripture fluttered slightly in the wind. In the back of the car sat an increasingly aggravated Gojyo. He was silently contemplating on doodling a moustache on the face of the final member of their motley crew, who was fast asleep, to relieve his sense of boredom. Gojyo dug into his pockets for his usual Hi-Lite cigarettes and scowled at the empty packet. Tossing it away, Gojyo turned his attention back to Goku and readied his little prank on the monkey.  


"Leave Goku alone Gojyo, we'll be arriving in the next town soon." Hakkai admonished.  


"Man I'm so bored, where's a good looking chick to chat up when you need one? It just makes me want to punch someone in the face right now" Gojyo moaned slouching at the back of the jeep and staring at the darkening sky as the last vestiges of the sun vanished into the horizon. He thought he might as well take a page out of Goku's book but then the jeep rolled to a slow stop indicating a familiar situation the Sanzo Party always got into.  
"Well you got your wish you irritating cockroach." growled Sanzo for the first time as he started to load his Smith & Wesson handgun. Upon the reception of an impending fight, Gojyo grinned and leapt out of the car to face a huge group of snarling demons.  


Gojyo grinned as his shakujou materialised in his hand. "No need to get your robes up in a twist, your Un-holiness. I figured you'd need a little exercise since our last major fight." As he said this, the blade disconnected from the staff and flew out in all directions, slicing through anything that was in the way. The dead youkai fell in clumps as Gojyo flicked his weapon allowing the chain and blade to recoil back into a staff.  


Before long, the group of demons lay in piles around them. A slight breeze blew in the air and was only disturbed with the sound of light snoring as Goku was still fast asleep in the jeep.  


"What the hell? He actually slept through that racket?" Gojyo groused. He rolled his slightly aching shoulder a few times after his much needed workout.  


"I guess he's just tired" Hakkai grinned as he made his way back into the driver's seat of the vehicle.  


"Lazy more like," Gojyo retorted, making his shakujou disappear. He was about to walk over to kick the small brunet awake when the bushes rustled and a demon that had lain hidden decided to launch a sneak attack on the slumbering brunet.  


"GOKU!" Sanzo shouted aiming to shoot cursing mentally when he failed to hear an explosion after he pulled the trigger of his emptied gun. The help wasn't needed though. The three older travellers stared dumbfounded as the force of Goku's punch sent the demon flying into the distance where the sun had set, a tiny glint in the sky being the last trace of his would be assassin. They slowly turned to their companion who had stood up, fists flailing as he ranted.  


"THAT'S MY SHUMAI, KAPPA!" Goku's eyes were still closed as he fought with Gojyo in his dreams.  


"You're shittin' me…" Gojyo gasped.  


"Ah ha, ha… Well we can be assured at least, that Goku knows how to take care of himself 24/7." Hakkai chuckled as Goku dropped back onto floor of the jeep, mumbling incoherently.  


"Don't you find that even a little bit disturbing that he's putting that much effort into beating me into a pulp in his dream?"  


"Not really, it's you after all," Sanzo replied coolly as he slid back into his usual seat in the car ignoring the choice select of curses muttered under the red head's breath. He cast a quick glance over to towards his young charge then he rolled his eyes allowing an amused smirk cross his lips as they set off towards the next town. It won't be long before the monkey was going to wake up to the smell of food and be his loud, rambunctious self but Sanzo wasn't going to let the kappa ruin that last peaceful hour, especially when the monkey was curled up like a dumpling reminding him of a time when his charge was younger.  
The wind sighed as the mountain overlooking the valley silently watched the four travellers continue towards the village, leaving a bloodied pile of dismembered bodies behind. The trees appeared to quiver as if frightened from the horrific sight that marred the otherwise beautiful landscape. Just as the travellers drove far enough away from the massacred pile that they wouldn't notice, a crack in the earth suddenly opened and water sprung out over the bodies washing away the blood whilst the grass grew and started to crawl, covering over them like a green carpet. Wisps of corrupt black energy drifted away as the bodies seemed to dissolve into the earth. Soon there was nothing left of the dead youkai except for a small grassy mound.  


\---  


It was a place he felt he had been before yet he knew he had no memory of it. Goku felt the warm breeze and the soft green grass beneath his feet. There was a beautiful glassy waterfall and clusters of trees all holding large fruits of various kinds. A tinkling sound of wind chimes whispered upon the breeze and drew his attention to a woman. She was sat on a rock in the middle of the clearing, staring listlessly at the patch of flowers in front of her whilst running a small comb through her long locks of hair. The sound came from an ornate charm bracelet on her wrist that intertwined between her fingers connected by a delicate silver chain that sparkled under the dappled sunlight. Small round silver and gold coins shimmered as she moved her fingers whilst hanging from the wrist were two semi-circle pieces of bright, translucent emerald green jade with an intricate pattern of holes in them. A delicate hum filled the air as the comb slid down silken hair and Goku realised that the heavenly sounds were coming from the jades themselves.  


"Um… hello?" Goku asked snapping the woman out of her reverie. "Sorry if I startled you. I think I'm lost." The woman stared at the youth with an expression of complete disbelief. Now that things were looking even more awkward, Goku rubbed the back of his head and flashed a pained grin to hide his embarrassment.  
"I was with some friends; there are three of them in a car. Have you seen them?" Snapping out of her stupor the woman shook her head in her answer. "Oh ok, sorry for bothering you." He said hurriedly as he started to worry about being lost. Sanzo was not going to be pleased. The woman who had gotten over her shock walked slowly towards the youth who was busy muttering to himself.  


"Oh man, where could those guys be? Last I remember I was still in the car and I'm starving." As if on cue, a loud rumble burbled out from the pit of the golden eyed youth's stomach and he pouted forlornly. The woman smiled and reached up to pluck a piece of fruit from the nearest tree, offering it to the hungry brunet.  
"For me?" the youth looked surprised and hopeful at the same time. The peach or at least what looked like it was huge, about roughly the size of a watermelon. The woman smiled and nodded pushing the huge fruit into his hands. Goku cheered like a child on Christmas as he devoured it with gusto. Peaches were one of his favourites. The woman simply watched contently until he finished it. "Yummy, that was the best peach I've ever had. Thank you so much!" Goku grinned happily at the kind woman and she seemed extremely pleased by his happiness. "Hey, sorry I never introduced myself. My name's…" the youth suddenly got distracted by something.  


A familiar sharp pain in the back of his head erupted and Goku quickly turned around expecting Sanzo to be standing there impatiently, arms crossed with his harisen sticking out. There was no one there. "Sanzo?" Goku called feeling extremely confused. Sanzo wasn't there, neither were Hakkai or Gojyo. When he looked over to the kind woman he was taken aback that the kind smile had disappeared from the woman's face replaced by a haunted look of loneliness.  


"Goku…" the voice was barely a whisper but the youth faltered at the sound of his name being uttered by the woman's lips.  


"How did you…?"  


\---  


"Goku! Wake up!"  


He was on a soft and warm bed. Sunlight was peeking through the slit of a closed curtain and Goku groaned snuggling into the extra soft pillow wrapping the quilt over his head to block out the warm rays but it was not enough as a large pair of hands tore the quilt away making him shiver from the sudden draft.  


"Come on you stupid monkey, you've slept more than enough already." Gojyo's grating voice was the last straw and Goku knew he was not going to be able to slip back into slumber. He rubbed his eyes and let out a wide yawn frowning at the wooliness that was in his mouth.  


"I had dream of eating a giant peach." He announced sleepily with a dopey grin on his face.  


"Well good for you. I had the most awesome dinner and was for once stuffed because you weren't there to devour it all." Gojyo grinned leaning an arm against the bed post. Goku was suddenly quite confused and looked outside. How long had he slept?  


"What time is it?" Hakkai flashed another of his enigmatic smiles. This was his extremely amused and mischievous smile.  


"7 o'clock in the morning. We were actually starting to get worried and was considering getting a doctor to look at you last night when you wouldn't wake up even to eat."  


"EH!? I missed dinner!" Goku's face paled immediately when he realised what had happened. A loud painful rumble erupted from his abdomen as proof of him missing out on one of his favourite past times.  


"And it was delicious." Gojyo smirked relishing the rare opportunity of tormenting the poor brunet about the massive feast the three elder members partook in the night before. Hakkai joined with a good natured chuckle. Sanzo sighed smacking the boy out of his stupor with the giant paper fan.  


"Quit gawking and get yourself up, you stupid monkey, or else you won't be eating breakfast either." Goku squeaked, quickly changing his clothes and rushed out through a door only to smack himself painfully into the wall of the closet in his room. This resulted in having a very red nose and hearing the red headed half breed cackling like a hyena. Goku groaned realising his embarrassment was going to be a subject of ridicule that the others were going to be laughing about for months.  


The huge breakfast more than made up the huge gnawing hunger sensation and Goku sighed contently despite of Gojyo's half-hearted attempts at stealing food from his plate and his earlier humiliation all but forgotten, at least until someone brought it up again.  


"I hope the food is to your liking" said the innkeeper come waitress. Gojyo flashed his typical winning smile.  


"It was as good as that exquisite dinner last night, Shihone-chan. The only problem is that this little monkey keeps eating it all." Shihone smiled, a slight pink flush appeared on her cheeks from the compliment.  


"Hey can I have some more bread?" Goku called out eagerly pointing to an empty plate. The waitress seemed taken aback probably because the full plate of food that had just disappeared within minutes but it seemed she was more startled by the presence of the fourth member of the group of men that had checked in the night before. It was subtle but a strange look had passed over her face and it didn't go unnoticed by the other three of the group.  


"O-of course," The girl hurried away and returned shortly with the fresh plate of bread. Gojyo started some idle chatter with the girl who seemed intent on watching the fluid motions Goku went through while guzzling down everything in sight.  


"This seems like a pretty peaceful town, doesn't it?" Hakkai commented looking outside. It was a clear day.  


"I suppose in a way it is. I came here a couple of years ago for refuge after my home town got attacked by youkai."  


"So, this town itself has never attacked then?"  


"No but…" Shihone caught herself mid-sentence as if contemplating whether she should say what she had in mind. Goku had paused in the middle of his eating at that point and looked up curiously. "Never mind. It looks like you need a refill of coffee there too. I'll go get it now." was all she said indicating Goku's empty cup before she walked away leaving the group a bit confused. She had returned with a fresh pot and watched a little longer as the boy resumed eating. It was Hakkai who broke the awkward silence when he noticed Goku had polished off the last morsel of food on the table.  


"Well when you are ready Goku we're going to get some more supplies before we set off." Goku nodded and leapt up from his seat. He waved cheerfully to Sanzo, who had sat himself in the small lounge room, too engrossed in his newspaper.  


The town was bustling with activity, something that Goku hadn't seen in a while but he was particularly wary at the moment. "People certainly seem relaxed considering what the world's like at the moment" Gojyo's seemingly casual comment was laced with suspicion. It was a given that the trio were uneasy particularly when the last time they had visited a town with a similar atmosphere turned out to be an ambush attack on them.  


"Indeed, but hopefully we won't hang around long enough for some unsavoury individuals to figure out we are here and cause these people any trouble. I also have to admit, the produce here is of a extremely high standard. I've never seen pears that big before." Hakkai added picking one up to examine it. Goku's mouth started to water at the sight of the fruit stall laden with oversized apples and oranges and an image of the strange fruit forest flashed in his memory.  


"Oh please can we get some Hakkai? Can we? Can we? Can we?" Goku almost bounced on his toes much to the amusement of the red head.  


"Alright, they are an extremely good price for their quality. It would be a crime to pass up." Hakkai replied cheerfully as he ordered a good dozen.  


"Yeesh, did you swallow a black hole at some point in your life, monkey? You only ate a few minutes ago." The red head teased but Goku was too happy to argue. He also never noticed the strange looks from the vendors that followed him wherever he went. Something that never escaped Hakkai and Gojyo's observations who subsequently tried to hurry their shopping trip a long whilst keeping an eye on the hyperactive monkey. What did distract Goku though were the lines of shops past the market place. He noticed each one contained wooden toys and dolls packed to the brim on shelves. Each piece delicately crafted by hand. The only thing odd though was that all the shops were nearly empty. It was quite the contrast to the market place right next to them.  


"Those are toy shops right? There ain't any people in there."  


"I guess the kids would probably be flocking these streets as soon as they finish school." Gojyo reasoned passing a bulging bag full of dried nuts that Hakkai had bartered over to the golden eyed youth. It was a good explanation for the lack of customers but as Goku stared at the line of shelves, he frowned at the amount of dust that was accumulated on the untouched goods. A sound of wind chimes and an image flashed across the reflection of the shop window. Goku suddenly felt dizzy and his vision seemed to blur.  


"Goku? Are you alright?" Hakkai asked concerned. With a shake of a head, the dizzy spell was over as quickly as it came.  


"Y-Yeah…" Goku said as he hurried after his two companions to continue their supply shopping.  


\---  


The snarling, guttural sounds of the monsters were closing in on him but young as he was, he tried not to let the panicked haze override the results of his training. A clawed hand lashed out tearing at his clothes but ultimately, he managed to slip through the main horde of demons that had rushed out to kill him. He jumped up high as one lunged to catch his legs, then he twisted into a spinning hook kick across the face of another and landing perfectly before sprinting towards his destination. He wasn't sure how long he ran but when he saw the entrance to the town, he chanced a moment to look behind him. The horde was merely a few yards away when another roar came from the bushes in front to pounce on him. He skidded down to his knees and rolled away but the crazed creature was quicker and did an abrupt about turn to grab his ankle. With a gasp, he saw the glint of claws slashing down towards him. He knew he couldn't possibly escape from this and the overwhelming fear finally caught up with him. This was going to be the end and he flinched closing his eyes to the attack.  


He heard a loud crack and something sharp penetrating flesh and bone. Blood splattered across his body. However, he felt nothing. There was no stabbing pain and slowly he realised the hot blood that was covering his clothes was not his own. The child looked up and felt a sickening nausea at the sight of the impaled youkai. A large tree had burst through the earth and stopped the creature in its tracks. More cracks and more trees sprung out from the ground, stabbing, grabbing and crushing their victims and before he realised it, the horde was dead.  


Shaking, he watched as vines slithered like snakes, wrapping themselves around the corpses before dragging them deep into the loosened soil. One particular vine gently pried the steel like grip of the dead youkai that had grabbed the boy's ankle loose before he too disappeared, leaving nothing but a patch of dirt in its wake. A whimper escaped the boy's lips, tears flowed from his eyes and he fell on his back in exhaustion. Breathing heavily, he noticed a figure from the corner of his eye and the sound of wind chimes filled the air. The boy lay there and closed his eyes allowing the musical sound wash over him like a soothing and hypnotic wave. When he was ready to continue his journey, the boy pushed himself up on to his hands and knees and crawled towards the town. Someone was calling him and the sound of the wind chimes will lead the way.  



	2. Child Sacrifice and all that malarky...

“That was quick.” Sanzo said while rummaging through the bags for a fresh carton of Marlboros.  

“Well everything was all in one convenient place. I have to admit, I might have gone overboard with the groceries. Everything was so cheap.” Hakkai smiled apologetically, handing the Three Aspects’ card back to Sanzo along with the bag containing the cigarettes that Sanzo sought for.  

“It’ll be fine, ‘Kai.” Gojyo said give his friend a pat on the back. “At least it’ll last us for a while even with the monkey’s appetite.”  

“Yes well, I’m sure Hakuryuu is going to appreciate that since he will be the one to carry everything, including us in the meantime.” Hakkai replied as he started organising the bags into his own Hakkai way and passing them over to Gojyo. Goku was sitting quietly in the corner looking deep in thought. If that wasn’t unusual in itself, Goku was surrounded by food that he had begged Hakkai to buy earlier and he wasn’t sinking his teeth into any of it.  

“Alright spill it monkey, what’s wrong?” Sanzo sounded bored when he said it but Goku had learnt to interpret the subtle nuances that showed he was concerned.  

“There were some shops on the other side of the market.” 

“You have enough food here already, you glutton.” 

“They’re not food shops. They had toys. A lot of them.” Sanzo frowned. It was rare to see Goku troubled about something that wasn’t his stomach. Sure he was a bit of a man child when it came to toys but one could simply distract him with food and he would’ve forgotten all about it. He turned to the other two for clues. Gojyo shrugged and Hakkai’s unmoving smile remained plastered on his face whilst he packed, which meant that it was something only the priest could deal with.  

“So?” 

“Well it’s weird. They were all just lined on the shelf and the store was all empty. Gojyo said that the kids were probably still at school and that it would get busy later on but all the shelves are all dusty and stuff. Like they’ve never been touched for ages. It just looked kind of lonely and dark in there.” The young man’s voice trailed away as he retreated to his thoughts. Sanzo grimaced at the sight of his charge and the blank eyes looking far away into nothing. He thought he would never see that look on the monkey’s face again after all these years together. He whacked the youth hard on the head with his fan.  

“They’re just toys, moron.” He said staring intently into the golden eyes.  _'Now get your mind back into the present’_. Goku pouted rubbing at the sore spot from where Sanzo had hit him then he flashed an understanding smile. He had got the message. Satisfied that he had got the monkey out of his depressed mood he gave another tap slightly lighter with his fan to get the youth to help with the packing. Although the place seemed peaceful, he felt an unusual tension since this morning and the worried glances between Gojyo and Hakkai made it all the more the reason that they should leave.   

\--- 

Hakkai was the first to spot the tiny figure that had stumbled wearily into town. The boy was dirty and unkempt. His clothes were torn to shreds, only just held together by a few threads, along with the dried up mud caked all over his body. He was probably no older than 10, traces of baby fat was still showing on his face and had it not been for the macabre state of his dress, one could define him as adorably cute. If the sight of his dishevelled appearance wasn’t shocking enough, his large, round eyes appeared disturbingly, blank. It was certainly not a leap of the imagination that the child was most likely in shock. Hakkai and Gojyo’s eyes widened when he trudged closer leaving a trail of bloody footprints behind him and his entire front covered in brown red. They approached slowly trying not to startle the boy further.  

“Hey,” Gojyo called cautiously. The boy blinked looking up at the two tall men. The blank eyes became guarded and he froze mid pace like a deer trapped in head lights. Hakkai inwardly winced. He was concerned about the blood and other possible injuries but the child was already in a state of flight or fight. One false move and the boy would start panicking.  

“Hey there, little guy.” Hakkai said calmly, slowly kneeling to one knee to make himself smaller and less threatening. The former teacher smiled kindly edging closer to the child. “Those look like some pretty bad injuries there. It must really hurt. My name’s Hakkai, this is Gojyo. Let’s see if I can help you with those wounds.” The child reacted by slapping away his extended hand and took three steps backwards into a fighting stance, his brown eyes looked defiant. “It’s Ok, it’s Ok, I know you’re scared but I promise we’re not going to hurt you. We’re just trying to help.” Brown eyes remained fixed and weary, he was still a distance away where he could easily flee if the need arose but the slight relaxing of his stance indicated that Hakkai had earned a modicum of his trust. “Gojyo?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Go inside and tell Shihone to heat up some water and prepare some towels and bandages.” Gojyo nodded and hurried ahead into the inn. Hakkai slowly took a few steps backwards and was relieved to see the boy follow him into the inn.  Sanzo and Goku were puzzled at the dark look on Gojyo’s face but their confusion turned to shock at the sight of the boy following Hakkai.  

“Youkai attack?”  

“Looks like it. Gojyo and I saw him limping into town. He’s pretty shaken up.” The child looked around the room curiously before his gaze landed on the other two friends of the strange man with the monocle. He let out a small gasp at the short brunet with the molten gold eyes. Rather than shy away as he had done earlier he hobbled over and clung to Goku like his life depended on it.

“Huh? Wha?” Goku gaped as the strange boy that he had never met. Hakkai also saw that the boy was, for the first time since he’s arrival, acting like a child again and had resorted to gripping Goku’s cape in one of his tiny hands as a form of security.

“Oi Goku, you know this kid?” Sanzo asked.

“No. I’ve never met him before.” Confusion was written all over the younger brunet’s face even as the child stared up adoringly at him.

“I… guess he likes monkeys. Makes a change to the ‘Oh great, Master Sanzo’ shtick.” Gojyo reasoned as Hakkai slowly approached the boy but again, he received the same reaction as before. The boy flinched and shied away behind Goku.

“Hey don’t be scared.” Goku assured kneeling down to the boy’s level. “He can help you.” The boy looked over to the man dressed in green then back at the Goku before finally relenting and allowing Hakkai to treat his wounds.

“What’s your name, little one?” Hakkai asked focusing his chi on a particularly nasty looking bruise that was starting to show on the boy’s ankle. The child didn’t answer at first and looked over to Goku. The youth smiled reassuringly at him.

“Udammu…” he finally said.

“Well, there’s progress, we have a name. Can you tell us what happened to you?” The child had reverted to his emotionless state in his responses, like a miniature soldier handing in a report.

“A horde of youkai attacked as I was arriving here from the Southern Village. I heard them arguing amongst themselves about looking for scriptures when they discovered me.” Everyone tensed at the revelation. An attack from youkai wasn’t that unusual since the group had long been well versed in sensing the aura of their approach before they had arrived, which is why they were disturbed. There was no indication to them that there was going to be a horde on its way. Udammu smiled as he rested against Goku looking up with a contented sigh. “But it’s ok, Mother protected me. She said she would meet up with me here.” Shihone placed in front of him a bowl of soup and a few simple but food that was easy on the stomach as well as the bandages and hot water.

“Was your mother travelling with you at the time?” Hakkai asked while he washed and dressed the worse of the gashes on the boy. The little boy winced a few times but took deep breaths much to the admiration of the adults in the room. He took a couple of moments to sip at some water, clutching the mug with small pudgy hands while leaning back against Goku for comfort.

“No, I came here on my own. My mom is still at the Southern village.” Udammu replied then looked up from his meal at Goku with a forlorn look on his face. “I lost all my supplies to get here, even the knife she gave me. Do you think she’ll be mad?” The constant switching between the innocent childishness and the stoic soldier was disconcerting even when the group knew that the entirety of Shangri La is turning into Hell.

“I think she’ll be more relieved that you made it here ok.” Goku replied honestly. ‘ _Any good mother ought to.’_ he silently added.

Eventually, when Hakkai finished, he gently pushed the steaming bowl of soup towards Udammu. The young lad looked up at Goku as if asking for his permission. Goku smiled and nodded although he felt confused by how the boy seemed to blindly trust him. Slowly, Udammu took up the spoon and began his meal. Each mouthful was systematically packed away.

“Why did you come here?”

“To be with Mother.” Udammu replied almost distantly staring out the window.

“But you said your mom was at another village. Is she going to follow you and move here?”

“No. Mom needs to stay in the Southern village to help protect the area. I’m meeting ‘Mother’ and I’ll be staying with her.”

“I don’t get it…” Goku stared, confused by the odd explanation.

“I think he meant it as a title, Goku. Like how I refer to the nuns at the orphanage as ‘Sister’.” Hakkai explained. “Can you tell me more about who this ‘Mother’, is Udammu?”

“Mother of the Mountain. She’s the one that protects the villages around the mountain and makes sure everyone here is safe and not have to worry about going hungry. She gets lonely though so the surrounding villages agree to send one child within their villages up to live with her.” The response seemed so matter of fact and it set more alarm bells among the adults of the group.

“Up to the mountain?”

“Yes. There are four villages that are built around the mountain and every year, a child is picked to go on a journey up towards the mountain to live with Mother.” Udammu explained. “It’s a great honour to be selected. Sometimes when one village is unable to send a child of their own, one of the other three villages sends another to represent it. That’s why I’m here.”

“Why is that?” Hakkai asked dreading where this might end up.

“It’s to represent the ‘Old Journey’.” Udammu explained matter of factly. “It’s a tradition passed down for over 800 years. Where 4 individuals comes together to help Mother protect the world.”

“Ah, I’ve think I’ve heard such a tale. An unknown scholar was said to have written a book about the journey based on some stone pictorial inscriptions of ruins found in the region of Toushoushin.” Hakkai surmised eager to share his love of literature. Udammu cocked his head unsure whether he should agree with the man with the strange eye glass but smiled with eased familiarity. Shihone paled significantly as she watched the small boy finishing the last morsel of food in his bowl and getting up to head out towards the door.

“Wait…” she cried out but flinched at the tone when the boy looked startled as if seeing her for the first time. She knelt down trying to will away the frightened look on her face and not frighten the boy. “Udammu why don’t you stay a little longer, yeah? I mean… you must be tired and those scratches probably hurt.”

“I’ll be fine now.” Udammu replied reassuringly and flashed a smile. “Mother will take care of me from now on. I’ll be going to the shrine to wait for her.”

“But…” Shihone reached out trying to block the boy’s path but Udammu had already slipped out of the door.

“He sure seems in a hurry.” Gojyo commented leaning against the wall, flicking on the flame of his trusty lighter and burning the end of his cigarette fresh from a new pack that was just purchased. “Sounds like a typical, too good to be true scenario, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed, the circumstances seem awfully dubious.” Hakkai muttered fiddling with his monocle, one of the sure signs of unease Hakkai rarely displayed. “It’s funny how when people are frightened enough that they are willing to commit such atrocities.”

Shihone dropped to her knees in front of the four travellers, in particular focusing on the Sanzo priest who was already savouring his second Marlboro for the day.

“Please… please, you’re a priest right? Can you help him? You’ve noticed haven’t you? Why we don’t have any children. There’s a yokai… she’s taking them away and killing them using this legend as an excuse.”

“It’s his choice. He risked his life to get here.” Sanzo leaned back folding the newspaper and getting ready to go.

“Only to give up his life to that yokai witch!” Shihone shrieked. “Please that boy doesn’t know any better. The children… our children… my baby… I don’t want to sacrifice anymore. Please…”

“Yokai, you say?” Hakkai questioned.

“It has to be, only the yokai would come up with some sick twisted ritual like this. Please, she took away my baby from me and… and… I thought I found sanctuary here with my son but… but…” the woman started to break down. Gojyo sighed looking away. He did not do well with crying women.

“No.” Sanzo said simply to the woman’s shock. Hakkai grimaced but his stance was clear too. The only other member of the four that had to be convinced that the mission was far too important remained silent. The bags had long disappeared packed away. Goku looked at the other three expectantly seated in his usual place in the jeep. Sanzo stared stunned. Out of the four members of the Sanzo party, Goku was the first one to argue a case for them to stay and sort every little problem out no matter how suspicious the whole scenario was.

“You really won’t help? How could you? You’re the venerable Sanzo priest aren’t you?” Shihone screamed.

“Hey… are you sure that this ‘Mother’ lady is really a bad person that took your kid?” Goku interjected calmly then cocking his head, a coldness in his golden eyes. “Maybe he ran away.” Four jaws dropped and the three elder members of the group glanced towards Shihone who looked crazed and wide eyed, as if she was going to morph into a monster at any moment. It was disturbing sight to behold.

“You’re in league with her aren’t you?” Shihone screeched, her eyes wide and she pointed an accusing finger towards Goku. “I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT WHEN I SAW THOSE DISGUSTING, ACCURSED EYES OF YOURS!” Goku didn’t look taken aback from the horrifying look on the woman’s face and Gojyo tensed as it suddenly brought back a stark reminder of a past face that he thought he would not see again. “GET OUT! GET OUT OF MY TOWN!” Shihone started throwing cups and plates at the jeep. The travelling group leapt out and hopped into Hakuryu before driving a little distance away towards the exit of the town. There, they could see the seething look of hatred, all of them directed towards Goku as they had no doubt heard the commotion. There was a sinking silence between the four travellers as Goku curled into himself at the back of the car.

“Way to bite the hand that fed ya, monkey.” Gojyo grumbled although he didn’t really feel malice towards the kid. The towns people had been acting funny with the guy in the first place. “And now, I’ve got one more bad memory to add to the crap pile.”

“Sorry…” Goku replied meekly, curling in on himself while casting occasional glances over to Gojyo. “Gojyo, are you ok?”

“What kind of stupid question is that, monkey brains?” Gojyo snapped irritably. Said monkey curled in on himself a little tighter. “Tch… At any rate, I should be the one asking you.”

“Why?” Goku asked puzzled.

“Ugh… nevermind.”

“Let’s chalk it up to just another learning experience, shall we?” Hakkai added who was surprisingly cheerful mirroring the pleasant weather. They sat in companionable silence with nothing but the sound of the Hakuryu’s humming engine chuntering away as they drove towards the usual direction. The surprisingly smooth road they were on easily led them to the west side of the mountain making it a promising drive for the day barring any impending attacks from yokai.

“Why did you say something like that for anyway?” Sanzo asked finally just as Goku looked like he was about to doze off. He at least did not appear too aggrieved by their sudden exile from the town.

“Well… Udammu said that this ‘Mother’ person protected him on his way here. The way he describes it, she practically provided that village all this awesome fruit.” Goku replied weakly pointing at the mountain of produce that was sitting with them. The other three sent him withering looks and he could almost hear the click of a gun or the rustle of a paper fan appear in the next few seconds if he didn’t come up with something a little less to do with his stomach. It was hard to explain and justify his argument. Sanzo had been a master of explaining things and while he had tried to emulate it sometimes, he always seemed to fall short. The gnawing sensation that he felt from the village was potent. It was obvious even for him so he knew that the others should understand and get where he was coming from. He just needed to actually voice it. “There’s something else… the whole vibe of the village just felt… off. I think I can still smell blood… like there was a lot of it but it’s kind of old.” Goku faltered unsure of whether to continue.

“Well it would make sense if it really is the site of regular child sacrifices… I suppose.” Hakkai suggested. Out of the four of them, Goku had the strongest sense of smell which could account for how he was able to smell and locate a yakisoba stall half a mile away.

“Not that kind of blood though.” Goku argued which piqued the interests of the other three. “Besides… why would anybody want to stay there and carry a tradition of 800 years of child sacrifice and risk their kid being chosen for slaughter anyway? That’s just stupid.”

“So you say otherwise...” Sanzo interjected.

“Of course. Even an idiot can tell just looking at Udammu.” Goku carried on affronted by why the village wasn’t making any sense.

“Go on…” Sanzo urged. Gojyo who was disgruntled earlier appeared curious of the younger brunet’s own deductions.

“Well… he’s smart. He’s gotta be. Not like normal smart, smart but ‘real’ smart like you and Hakkai.” Gojyo frowned when the youth conveniently left him out of the equation of ‘smart’ people. “He came all that way to the town on his own with yokai chasing him and he was trained to fight and survive only to die at some altar? Come on.” Sanzo turned around and stared at the youth behind him with a mild expression of amusement.

“Well, smart people are known to make stupid errors of judgement.” Hakkai interjected adding to the humour. “You just need to look at us after all.”

“Yeah but I trust Udammu’s judgement more than that Shihone and the rest of the ‘villagers’ there.” Goku groused.

“What do you mean?” Gojyo asked looking overly casual about things when he had something to hide.

“I did notice them staring at me like I’m the devil’s spawn too despite your protective big brothers act, ya know.” Goku retorted coolly, successfully surprising Hakkai and Gojyo who had been actively distracting him from the villagers death glares. He closed his eyes, and pouting haughtily.

“Looks like the monkey has learnt something.” Sanzo announced as he turned back to face the road ahead.

“There’s one last thing, though Sanzo.” Goku added. “Do you know what might have happened to the original villagers?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've finally recaptured the muse that first inspired this debacle of a story and for some reason it has evolved as the characters are smarter than I was originally going to write them up as then I realised 'this was the Sanzo party'. Of course it was going to happen if I left them alone for too long. That's just the way they are. It's not deviated too far fortunately but it's still a pain to have to write an explanation for what happens next. XD


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